Soul Searching
by Tegan Shade
Summary: That creature - if there was more of those running around then she wouldn't be able to just sit around doing nothing. She already knew what her answer was; there was no denying the point.    "I'll help you." She promised, eyes locking with Rukia's.
1. Beginning of Something More

**This story is actually a prologue of sorts. It will not be too long. Only around 15 chapters or so. It is merely the introduction to a different story that a friend of mine has written. I will be posting her story shortly after this one.**

…

It was nearing sunset in the beautiful town of Karakura. Things were calming down for the night and everything seemed to enter a state of peace and quiet.

Well almost…

"You got a death wish, bitch? Nobody jumps one of my guys and gets away with it!"

There were several different people gathered together in the street, seemingly split into two groups. The voice that had yelled belonged to a teenage boy - a thug- who was apparently the leader of the boys behind them. His friends – cronies - all cracked their knuckles threateningly at the other group - one of which was the girl being yelled at.

The girl had brown hair just past her shoulders and hazel eyes. She wore simple black jeans, blue flip-flops, a dark blue spaghetti strap, and a right-pissed-off scowl. She said nothing as the boy screamed at her. Her scowl only deepened further and she made a non-committal noise.

"Is that all you can say?" The thug had reached his breaking point and shot forward towards Kita.

However, someone else got there first. A taller boy with a dark tan, shaggy black hair, and brown eyes stopped the thug before knocking him back with an attack of his own.

The thug hit the ground hard, causing a cloud of dust to rise. Everyone watched quietly but the boy did not move even as the dust settled.

His fellow group of thugs broke into nervous whispers and Kita used Kyvain's distraction to her advantage much to the amusement of the girl's friends.

"Alright listen up assholes!"

The group's eyes immediately snapped to her.

"Do you see that?" Kita pointed to a knocked over vase beneath a nearby lamppost. The idiots nodded.

"Good." Kita hissed, her eyes blazing.

"Now first question. Do you know what that is?" Her voice had gone deadly - almost poisonous and it caused her friends to either smirk or fight down smiles. Some of their eyes lit up with glee at the sight.

The thugs, on the other hand, were looking confused, shooting nervous glances between the crazed girl and quietly glowering boy.

"Answer me dammit! You! The fugly one in the middle!" Kita had gone back to shouting.

"Me?" The boy in the middle squeaked, pointing to himself nervously.

"No!" Kita snapped, "Ah' meant the other guy who smelt like fucking B.O.! Yes you!"

The boy, starting to shake, stuttered in giving his answer, "I g-guess it's f-flowers from some k-kid who got killed round here."

"Well. Aren't you a genius." Kita sneered, "Now why the hell is it knocked over on its side?"

One of the other thugs, regaining his courage (and stupidity), spoke up, "'Cause we knocked it over when we were skating by," he shot, "What's it to you?"

Behind Kita, another boy and girl - Pyro and Match - started to snicker.

Kita merely glowered at him then stopped and began to smile.

"You're right." She said softly, still smiling.

The thug was only momentarily taken aback before he turned to his friends with a smirk. However when he looked back, Kita was directly in front of him.

She socked him in the nose.

"That's what it means to me asshole! Now apologize or the next time the flowers will be for you!" She shouted, looking rather demonic… or crazy. Take your pick.

The thugs that were still standing shouted apologies as they collected their fallen comrades and took off, not even pausing as the other group burst into laughter.

The last two girls - Syke and Tegan - smirked at each other before Tegan went over to pick up the fallen vase.

"There." she said happily, "Now they shouldn't come back here to bother you."

She smiled as a young girl seemingly appeared before them.

To them, the girl was as solid and real as anyone else and not one of them said anything about the blood stains that splattered her clothing.

To them, the decaying chain that hung from the child's chest was an all too familiar sight.

To them, the sight of spirits was an everyday occurrence.

By the time that their confrontation had ended, it was already dark out and past time for them to split ways. Saying their goodbyes, everyone heading towards their own home and Tegan and Syke found themselves alone.

The two sisters carried on in silence, allowing the peace to wash over them. Syke was taller than her sister and honestly, not many would guess that they were related. Tegan had shaggy brown hair that just touched her neck and light blue eyes while Syke had shoulder-length blond hair that went down in frizzy waves and hazel eyes. Tegan was more laid back and absent-minded. She often forgot what she was doing or what she was having a conversation about. Syke had a quick temper and could be counted on to remember anything she had heard or read about.

However, there was one thing that they both acted upon in the same manner…

Entering their home and removing their shoes, the two called in unison, "We're home!"

Just as they finished saying this, a white blur came flying from out the kitchen and in the next moment, the two girls had been knocked over.

The blur stood over them, revealing itself to be a middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat. He placed his hands on his hips before declaring loudly, "You dropped your guard. Always be on alert when coming into the house if you're late for curfew."

…Their father.

Syke's face twisted into a look of rage and Tegan dropped her usual smile to glare coldly up at him before they both flung themselves at the older man.

"We don't have-" Tegan swept her leg out to trip the man.

"A curfew!" Syke kicked him in the ribs, causing him to go flying across the hall and hit the opposite wall.

The two stood side by side, glaring down at him in irritation.

Syke began to speak, "Excuse us for helping a spirit find peace-"

Tegan's eyes had narrowed to slits as she hissed, "-You crazy old man."

The man stared at them in surprise for only a second before leaping up to his feet to attack at them again.

"Oh yeah, blame the ghost! Bet it's the ghost's fault for leaving your rooms a mess, huh? When will you two learn discipline and respect?"

While they were fighting, a young boy with messy brown hair and hazel eyes, came to stand in the doorway. He watched them for only a moment before crying out, "Hey guys stop fighting! Dad leave them be!"

The three pause and stared at him before Tegan and Syke looked at each other and shrugged. They dropped Isshin from the chokehold - allowing him to hit the ground hard - then simultaneously kicked him and walked away, following their younger brother.

Isshin found his three children in the living room - Syke and Jake playing video games while Tegan entertained herself with a book. He smile softly at his family, pride evident in his eyes before he smirked and launched himself at them, yelling, "Super sweet Dad attack!"

The next morning, Syke ran quickly downstairs, already running late in her effort to get to school. When she got to the kitchen, Tegan handed her some toast that Syke immediately stuffed in her mouth. She then ran quickly out the door, not noticing her siblings exchange smirks. She was already half way down the street when Jake turned to Tegan and asked, "When do you think she'll realize that it's Saturday?"

Sometime later, Syke was walking down the street, kicking the ground in irritation. She could not believe that her siblings tricked her like that. Oh wait. Yes she could.

The girl paused when she realized she had neared the lamppost where the young child haunted then smiled and pressed on. Perhaps, she could check to see how she was doing.

An explosion up ahead stopped her in her tracks. Syke froze, eyes wide as she stared at the smoke and debris. She did not notice the people around her panicking - only that the young spirit was racing towards her - and she was terrified!

When the child reached her, Syke grabbed her arm and began to run alongside her. A chilling howl echoed behind her, causing Syke to falter and turn - and see a monster from nightmares coming towards them.

The creature towered above everything – it had to be at least ten feet tall, because it was tall enough to block out the sun and throw its shadow over them both. Its body was a shade of black that didn't reflect the light from overhead, but rather absorbed it. It had human-like legs and arms, but the digits all ended in curved claws several inches long. Its face was a white mask that reminded Syke of a skull that was permanently fixed in a wicked smile. Behind the mask were small eyes that burned brightly red. The mask's mouth ripped open as it roared.

Syke immediately began running again, this time with new vigor. However, they did not get far when the child tripped and fell. Syke skidded to a stop to help her up but it was too late. The monster was upon them.

Syke winced and flinched back - ready for the pain surely to come. Blood splattered her face.

However, it was not hers. A small figure dressed in black had leapt between the girl and beast - unsheathed a sword - and sliced it through the being's head. The creature burst!

In the next instant, the mysterious figure was gone - the creature dead - and Syke left with questions.

Syke entered the house quietly later that night, still confused by the morning's events. She had spent the rest of the day searching for the girl that had intervened in her death but had found nothing. It was frustrating to say the least.

When she entered the kitchen, she found Jake sitting at the bar, doing weekend homework. Syke looked around, the others were gone.

"Where's the other two?" She asked as she pulled a water from the fridge.

Jake did not even look up, far too engrossed in his work, and answered in a distracted tone, "Dad took Tegan to the hospital for another checkup."

Syke winced but it went unnoticed by her brother. Her sister had been getting such checkups since they were nine. The doctors believed that she had a mild mental disorder that caused her absentmindedness and to hear whispers in her mind. Tegan was getting better but the visits continued.

Syke felt as though they would never end.

Feeling more upset than she had just a moment ago, Syke made her way to her room, believing it best that she be by herself for a while. She laid in bed, attempting to block out memories of just when Tegan's problem had first appeared when a flutter of black caught her eye.

It was a black monarch butterfly traveling across her room.

Syke sat up fully, wondering just how it had gotten into her room when another figure glided through her wall. Her eyes widened as she realized that it was the girl from earlier - the one who had killed the demon.

The girl was looking around wearily and as her eyes passed over Syke, she realized that the girl had immediately passed over her - as though not caring that she was there in the slightest.

Syke tensed when the stranger placed a hand on the katana that stuck from her belt. By this point, Syke knew that the girl was a spirit but that hardly counted for anything at all. They had been hurt by spirits before.

Enough was enough, she finally decided; she was tired of being annoyed and more than wary about the blade. Syke stood up from her bed to address the spirit.

"Hey-" She began was cut off by the girl speaking in a soft tone.

"It's close."

The spirit continued to ignore her, aggravating Syke to the point that she did something very Tegan like.

She kicked the girl in the ass.

The spirit tumbled over from the unexpected blow, landing on her hands and knees. She turned to look at Syke with wide, surprised eyes.

"You kicked me!" She exclaimed.

Syke crossed her arms, "Well you were ignoring me."

The girl just gaped, "B-but I can't be seen by normal humans! Are you saying you can see me?"

Syke pinched the bridge of her nose, "Is that a serious question or are you just stupid? 'Cause let me tell you, I am in NO MOOD-"

She cut herself off as the girl stood up, faced her, and grabbed her chin.

"How odd." The spirit muttered, "You look normal but you must be defective somehow-"

Syke snapped.

She lunged at the girl, yelling, "I'LL SHOW YOU DEFECTIVE, YOU LIT-" But the spirit managed to evade her by jumping into the air and landing behind her gracefully.

Syke snarled and turned back around, "Just who the hell are you anyway?"

The girl turned to her with a blank - almost bored - expression that Syke had often seen Tegan use against other people. The girl's voice was calm when she answered but held no mocking tone.

"I'm a soul reaper."

The girl explained to Syke about shinigami and their duties. Syke listened carefully to her tale, feeling exhaustion settling in as the girl told her more. She honestly had no reason to not believe her after everything that she had seen in her life but Syke was tired and it had not been the best day for her. She rubbed her eyes tiredly before asking, "So that monster from earlier was a hollow?"

"That's correct."

Syke grumbled to herself then asked, "So if you got what you came for then why are you still here?"

The shinigami blinked, as though not expecting the question, then she looked sheepish.

"Well actually," she began, "there's a second hollow around here somewhere but it seems to have disappeared."

Syke stared blankly at her.

"You mean you lost it." she deadpanned.

"I did not lose it!" the girl yelled back, "It's just hiding itself from my senses that's all!"

Syke snorted in disbelief.

The girl clenched her teeth.

"Why you.." she ground out, causing Syke to smirk.

Then the sound of a chilling howl echoed through the room. Both girls froze then leaped to their feet as crashes came from downstairs.

"No! Jake!" Syke called in panic, rushing from her room and heading downstairs.

The shinigami followed closely but paused as she left the room - the feeling of the monsters energy washing over her.

How had this managed to hide from her?

Syke ran through the halls until she came to the kitchen. Disbelief flooded her mind for but a moment as she took in the sight before her. An entire wall had been taken out - wood splinters and glass were scattered over the floor - and one of the monsters from earlier - a hollow - was stooped outside the hole.

Its attention was diverted by something struggling in its hand… Jake!

Syke immediately went into action as she shot towards them, grabbing a nearby chair to use as a weapon. When she reached the hollow, she pulled the chair back and struck!

The chair snapped in half and Syke gaped in disbelief as the hollow looked down at her.

It turned to face Syke completely but before it could do anything else a black blur shot from the house and sliced at its hand, causing it to immediately drop Jake. The boy screamed as he fell and Syke found herself rushing in attempt to catch him. Reaching him just in time, Syke flung herself forward and grabbed him in her arms just as he lost consciousness.

The hollow was screaming in pain and fury as blood ran down its arm. Syke watched with wide eyes as it swept forward with its good arm and knocked the shinigami across the yard, cutting open her side as it did. It then disappeared into shadows.

Placing Jake down to the side, Syke then ran over to where the girl lay bleeding.

"Soul Reaper! Are you ok?"

The shinigami had pushed herself into a sitting position against the house, her hand pressing against a badly bleeding wound. Her face was twisted in pain and her breath labored but she still responded.

"I'll be ok." She paused, "But I'm afraid that I'm of no use now and the hollow will return soon."

"What do I do?" Syke asked, half panicked. The girl just gazed at her calmly as though searching her very soul.

"Do you… wish to protect your family?" She asked softly.

"Yes! I'll do anything."

The girl's breathing hitched for a moment, "You must become a soul reaper. As a human, there's nothing that you can do to fight it."

"Alright." Syke choked out, "How- how do I…"

The girl nodded, "You must take my zanpakuto and pierce it into your heart."

"W-what?" Syke's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"It's the only way!" the shinigami snarled before her expression turned sad, "We don't have much time."

Syke paused but then shook her head. Her family was worth it.

She stood before the girl's blade, ready for what she had to do.

"Do it soul reaper."

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki."

The hollow had reappeared from the shadows, howling in rage. It raced towards them.

"And my name is Syketon Shade!"

The blade pierced her heart and the hollow froze as a burst of red energy exploded before it.

When the light died down, Syke stood in the shinigami uniform with a katana held in her hands. She grinned savagely at the confused hollow before leaping towards it.

"You shouldn't have attacked my family, hollow scum. I'll kill you!"

She impaled it between the eyes as Rukia watched in horror and fascination. The human girl had taken to fighting the hollow naturally but she had absorbed all of Rukia's powers rather than just enough for the fight!

Syke landed gracefully on her feet as the hollow disintegrated then turned to smirk at Rukia. She took a step forward - and fell unconscious a moment later. Behind her stood a taller boy with black hair. He caught Syke as she fell then gently placed her down on the ground before going towards Jake.

Rukia struggled to get up - she did not know who this person was but the two humans were defenseless the way they were. Before she could even get to her feet, another being stepped in front of her. She froze as spiritual pressure washed over her - forcing her to stay on the ground.

"Now Miss Kuchiki. It's probably not the best idea to be moving, hmm." The blond man smiled down at her as Rukia gazed up in fear.

Then the man turned to the boy, "Kyvain. Let's get this cleaned up quickly. Miss Kuchiki here needs medical attention and I'd rather not be around when the rest of Miss Shade's family gets home."

Kyvain looked up from where he was checking Jake.

"Yes sir." he called back.


	2. Substitute Soul Reaper

"It's a miracle!" Isshin shouted as he threw his arms into the air, "A truck plows through our house and we don't get so much as a single scratch!"

The entire Shade family stood outside their home, staring at the large hole that had once been their kitchen. Isshin was ecstatic while Jake seemed to be in slight shock. Tegan and Syke looked at each other in disbelief but for completely different reasons.

Tegan sighed. "What I wanna know," she said, "is how it happened and none of you woke up. I mean, _I _was drugged outta my mind but surely something like that would've been heard by _someone_." She paused then turned to Isshin, "And why did the police wait until the morning to let us know what happened?"

Isshin shrugged. "Maybe they didn't want to wake us up." he said casually.

Syke watched as Tegan twitched before her sister and father began to argue. She looked to the house, grateful that no one knew the truth but still wondering. What had happened to Rukia?

"Oh no!" Jake's cries cut her from her thoughts. "My homework was in there!"

He ran into the house through the newly made door in search of the missing papers.

Tegan stepped up next to Syke, Isshin now in a crumpled heap on the ground.

"We have a nerd for a brother." she deadpanned, watching Jake run around frantically.

Syke merely nodded in agreement.

Monday morning, Tegan and Syke headed towards school, both exhausted from the previous day's work. As soon as they reached their classroom, Tegan dropped into her seat at her desk and placed her head on her arms - ready for a nap. Syke sat down more gracefully, keeping an eye out for their teacher.

As class had yet to start, students were all over the classroom, catching up from a weekend apart.

None of the others from their group were in their class. Match was a year below them and all of the others were a year above. The only reason Tegan and Syke were in the same class was because Isshin had waited to enroll Tegan so that they could enter school together.

Syke's attention was diverted as two of her classmates headed towards her. Keigo and Mizuiro were two guys that she would hang out with once in a while – they amused her.

It was obvious that they had something important (to them at least) to talk about. Keigo was practically skipping towards her and Mizuiro had a gleam in his eye that Syke had learned to be wary of. She braced herself as they neared her.

"So," Mizuiro drawled, leaning forward in interest. "I heard something interesting the other day."

Oh no. Not another rumor. Mizuiro was known for hearing all the little details of people's lives whether they were true or not. He used them to his advantage too. Syke had watched him practically rip apart some guy's social life just for talking to him wrong. Thankfully, that was years ago and Mizuiro had mellowed some and did not resort to blackmail at every opportunity to get what he wanted.

"That so?" Syke drawled out, wondering if her display of disinterest would irritate the boy.

Keigo, however, would have none of the mind games as he blurted out, "We heard a truck ran into your house!"

Oh. Syke relaxed. Was that all? She had been slightly worried for a moment.

"Yeah," she confirmed, nodding her head, "pretty much. Tegan was furious about it and Dad…. Well, you know how Dad is."

Keigo nodded furiously all the while shuddering in remembrance of the eldest Shade as Mizuiro hummed thoughtfully.

"Hello there!"

A voice broke the trio out of their musings - a bright, cheerful, hideously familiar voice. Syke felt a chill travel down her spine and turned to see who had approached them even as her mind already made the connections.

Rukia Kuchiki stood before them - dressed in the school uniform.

Syke jumped up in horror and from the corner of her eye, she could see Tegan peeking out from her arms in curiosity. Meanwhile, Rukia remained standing there, smiling cheerfully at Syke.

Mizuiro's face lighted up. "Oh yeah." he said, "I almost forgot. We got a new student today. Rukia Kuchiki."

Keigo smiled dreamily, "Isn't she something?"

Syke was not paying attention; she was still trying to figure out just how it was possible. How was Rukia Kuchiki standing in front of her at that moment?

Mizuiro then noticed his friend's strange reaction and looked to her inquiringly. "Is something the matter Syke?" he asked innocently, causing Syke's head to whip around towards him in disbelief. Thankfully, Rukia's next statement kept her from making an even bigger scene.

"Oh my! You must be the person that the principal said would be showing me around. Syketon Shade, right?" Rukia gave a slight curtsey, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Keigo sighed dreamily again and Mizuiro looked to Syke.

"Is that why you just freaked out, Syke? You forgot to show around the new girl?" he asked.

Syke hesitated then nodded vigorously as she spoke hurriedly, "Know what, why don't I just go show her around right now? If you'll excuse me!"

She reached around, grabbed Rukia's arm and – faster than the girl could blink – dragged her out of the room. Mizuiro and Keigo watched with amusement as their friend disappeared through the door, dragging the confused transfer student with her.

Syke did not stop running until she and Rukia had reached an abandoned walkway outside. Breathing heavily, she released Rukia and paused to catch her breath. When she was breathing normally again, she turned to the petite girl with eyes narrowed.

Rukia merely smirked back at her.

"How come the others can see you?" Syke demanded abruptly, crossing her arms.

"I don't know what you mean," Rukia answered silkily but she was still smiling.

"_Don't give me that! You're a Shinigami!_" Syke exploded. "That's like a ghost, right? They shouldn't be able to see you without the use of special cameras! Or at least you shouldn't be this solid!"

Rukia obviously never had any intention of convincing her that she was just a normal human. She was just doing this to see Syke's reaction; the human girl could see it in her face. As though worried about being overheard, Rukia glanced to the left, right, and around them before she whispered lowly with a sparkle in her eyes, "I'm in a gigai."

"What the fuck is that?"

"Watch your language." Rukia admonished sharply, eyes narrowing.

"Tell me what a damn gigai is, and I'll watch my fucking language."

This caused Rukia to roll her eyes.

"It's an artificial body. We Shinigami use them if we are weakened or wish to be seen by the general populace."

Syke decided not to go further into how an 'artificial body' was supposed to work. Instead she questioned, "_Why are you here in my school?_"

Rukia's smile faded as she became serious for the first time today. "I need your help, Syke."

"Why do you need _my _help?" Syke asked warily.

"I meant to give you only part of my powers the other night. But…somehow, you got them all. My zanpakuto is gone, my kido is useless, I can't do anything I used to. But the Hollows are still here, Syke. I need you to help me fight them now that you have the power. At least until I get my own powers back."

Syke's response? "You're joking."

"Does it look like I'm joking?"

"It looks to me like you're insane."

Rukia stared hard at her shock. "Surely you're not serious?"

"I think we've already gone over this. And don't call me Shirley."

"_Syketon!_" Rukia hissed. "Don't you remember _why _I gave you my powers?" Syke winced at the memory, it was still fresh even after having been several days ago.

"Ok, ok." She sighed, "I get it." Syke rubbed at her brow in irritation. She really did not want to get involved any more than she already had but the memory of that creature…. If there was more of those running around then she wouldn't be able to just sit around doing nothing. She already knew what her answer would be; there was no denying the point.

Grimacing, Syketon braced herself for what she was about to say – for the pledge that she was going to take.

"I'll help you." She promised, eyes locking with Rukia's.

Tegan Shade was a lot of things – lazy, manipulative …. schizophrenic – but she was not stupid. Nor was she ignorant. Syketon never freaked out over something so simple.

'Forgetting to show the new girl around, puh-lease.' She mentally scoffed, eyes trained on the door that her sister had just disappeared through.

~Paranoid~ A distorted voice brushed the edge of her mind, followed by another's laughter. Tegan grimaced but otherwise did not respond. Her doctor had recently been getting on to her for doing so. She honestly did not see what the problem was. She had only been telling the two of them to "shut up and mind their own damn business." Apparently, however, doing so was just "encouraging her inner demons." Tegan scoffed at her own memories. Sometimes, her doctor was an idiot.

Syketon did not return to class that hour. Hell, she did not return to class at all and it had Tegan slightly worried as she headed home by herself. Sure, she was glad that Syke was finally skipping school for once but still, it was so unlike her sister… And that transfer student had not returned either. Curiouser and Curiouser.

"Tegan!"

Tegan was pulled out of her thoughts by Kita's yell and she turned to greet her friend with a smile.

"Wazzup, Ki?"

Kita rolled her eyes at the nickname. "Must you call me that?" she groaned even though her words were teasing.

"Of course." Tegan answered easily, all too familiar with this particular conversation, "It annoys you, does it not?"

"Jerk."

"Dumbass."

They simultaneously stuck their tongues out at each other before continuing down the road together. The two of them had been friends for years and knew each other well, which was why Tegan could tell that Kita was not in as great a mood as she displayed.

"So, what's the matter?" she questioned, pulling the left strap of her bag over her shoulder. Damn thing was far too heavy to carry on one side.

Kita huffed, crossing her arms in irritation. "People were weird today." She informed Tegan, who merely furrowed her eyebrows.

"Aren't they always?"

"Well," Kita paused a moment, "Yeah. But I mean, they were weirder than normal today. Pyro was on edge so bad that he was almost twitchy, Match was almost a down right bitch at lunch, and Kyvain was acting depressed! Then you an' Syke didn't even bother to show up at lunch and save me from them." She glared at Tegan through her bangs, "Thanks a lot for that by the way."

"You're welcome." Tegan automatically replied. Huh, the group was acting odd.

"Maybe it's in the air." She muttered to herself, semi-forgetting that Kita was next to her.

"What?"

Tegan's eyes snapped to Kita in surprise before she elaborated, "Oh well, Syke was actin' weird today as well. She actually ran out of school first period. Never came back."

"You're kidding. Syke?"

Tegan shook her head in amusement, "Yeah, surprised me too."

"Gonna tell your dad?"

"Hell no. There's no telling what that old goat would make of it."

Kita laughed at that, "True."

They continued on in silence, unaware that their friend's life was taking a new path and that they would soon be following.


	3. Life Carries On

"Gah! Son of a mother fucking bitch!"

"Watch your language, Syketon!"

CLANG!

"Don't tell me what to do, you crazy fucking midget!"

This seemed to be becoming a typical day for the powerless shinigami and the short tempered human. The two of them would wake up, prepare for the day, go to school, and inadvertently fight the hollows that appeared. Once they started fighting, Rukia would start shouting information that she deemed useful at Syketon, who in turn, attempted to ignore her while trying not to get killed. She was definitely getting better at fighting, considering she had no knowledge on how to use a sword to begin with but there were still times that she found herself almost overwhelmed.

FWOOSH!

Like today.

"Since when the hell can hollows breath fire? What the fuck?"

The duo had come across a hollow tearing through one of the neighborhood parks.

They had immediately taken action and, once again, Syketon had to wonder if The-Crazy-Midget-Who-Slept-In-Her-Closet might have lost more than just her powers that night two weeks ago.

Syketon shuddered, remembering just how she had discovered the petite girl was living in her closet at home and the trouble they had gone through to hide it from the rest of her family – especially Tegan. She had the bad habit of borrowing some of Syketon's clothes without asking.

Giving one final swing with her sword, Syke cut the hollow's mask in half before landing in a crouch. She paused, smelling the air. Was something burning?

"Shit!" Syke yelled out as she realized that one of her sleeves of her shinigami robes had caught fire. Stop, drop, and roll, Syke. Stop, drop, and roll.

Kyvain watched carefully from atop a building as Syke and Rukia fought the fire-breathing hollow together. She was getting better, he realized and he smiled at the revelation before his face twisted into a scowl. He could not understand why he had to watch her. He knew she had potential. He had known that the moment that Tegan had introduced the two of them so long ago. It wasn't right to spy on her like this. Or maybe… He gained a thoughtful expression as his attention turned towards Rukia. Maybe he wasn't supposed to really be watching how Syke was taking to being a shinigami at all. Maybe it had more to do with Kuchiki.

Kyvain knew all about the Kuchiki clan. It was one of the things that his master had insisted he learn about – the noble clans of the Seireitei. Miss Kuchiki had been adopted into the clan by the clan's head years ago. Her being in the human world and losing to some standard class hollow just didn't add up to the Kuchiki clan's image. Something was very wrong and it looked like it was about to drag his friends into the fray.

Match and Pyro walked silently together down the road. Pyro was older by two years. He had brown hair in an almost buzz like cut, pale skin, and his brown eyes were protected by square-rimmed glasses. Match had the darker complexion of their Mexican mother. Her long black hair reached mid-back and curled at the ends while her brown eyes were quick and sharp.

Their names weren't actually Match and Pyro – those had been nicknames that Tegan had given them years ago, telling them that they were pyromaniacs and should just learn to accept the fact. They only went by their real names in school and at home when their father was there and that was the way they liked it.

The two of them had noticed their new shinigami classmate. Or rather, Syketon's classmate. They had also noticed that Syketon's spiritual ribbon was no longer the white of a humans but rather a deep, blood red. It concerned the two of them that their friend may be getting even further involved in such affairs – especially considering what they had done to keep them separated from the… darker aspects of the spiritual world.

Which was why they were currently hunting down their mutual friend – Kyvain. They had known that he was a shinigami for a long time now. When they had confronted him all those years ago, he had convinced them not only to keep his status a secret but also to train with him in order to get stronger. They had agreed but only on the condition that they do their best to keep the rest of their friends from discovering that the spirit world was not confined to ghosts that could not move on.

They had agreed, upon their pride as Quincy.

A few days later….

The moment that Kita woke up, she knew that it was going to be one of those days. It probably had something to do with waking up to find Tegan's face mere inches from her own. Shrieking in surprise, the startled girl threw her friend from the bed all the while letting loose profanities that would make a sailor blush.

Tegan landed in a heap on the floor, moaning slightly in pain as Kita placed a hand on her frantic heart before she turned to Tegan in anger.

"Ya ass!" she shouted, waving her arms angrily, "What the hell were you thinking? Screw that! How the hell did you get in here and without the dogs going off?"

One of said dogs lumbered into the room, knowing that his master had been successfully woken up by their adopted pack mate.

Tegan smiled and grabbed the dog's fur in her fists, hugging the beast to her. She smiled over the Husky as a Pit Bull and a Great Pyrenees joined her on the floor.

"I know where you keep the key and they love me far too much to keep me out." She stated, cooing at the dogs around her.

Kita glared at them from her bed, huffing as she said "So much for aggressive guard dogs. Useless, I swear."

Tegan laughed at her friend even as the pit bull licked the side of her face, leaving a trail of slobber behind.

"So why are you here anyway?" Kita asked as she stepped out of her bathroom, towel drying her hair. Tegan barely glanced over at her, already having half her body engulfed by Kita's closet.

"We're meeting up with the others in less than an hour. You weren't answering your phone so I figured I'd stop by and tell you face ta face."

"Uh huh." Kita intoned, before gliding over the closet and pulling her friend out, "Stay out of my closet. It's a death trap at the moment and I'd rather your sister not come after me in misguided anger."

Tegan pouted but her sulking did not last long as something outside the window had caught her attention.

"Wow! Look at the butterfly!"

Kita sighed in exasperation and shook her head. "The attention of a gold fish, I swear."

Tegan turned to her friend, smirking. "Yeah but I'm schizophrenic. What's your excuse?"

With years of practice, she was able to gracefully dodge the shoe that was aimed for her head.

"Well that meeting didn't go well." Tegan muttered in a huff. She and Kita were both leaving the restaurant that their group had agreed upon after a rather tense assembly.

"No shit Sherlock." Kita exhaled angrily. "I swear things haven't been that awkward since you and Kyvain broke up."

Tegan's eyebrow twitched. "Thanks Kita."

Kita snickered at her friend. "No problem, sissy."

Sighing in exasperation, Tegan waved good-bye to Kita as the two parted ways for the day. Kita intended to go home, do chores, homework, and forget about that evening. Tegan didn't really want to go home at the moment. In all honesty, she didn't want to really deal with anyone either. A walk around the town seemed like the best idea to her, maybe it would help her clear her mind and relax.

Not really paying attention to where she was going, Tegan allowed her feet to wander as she stared absentmindedly at the ground. Whatever everyone's problem was, she hoped that they got over it soon. She wasn't sure how much more tension she could stand.

The sound of shouting was what brought her out of her thoughts as she rounded a corner. Stopping in her tracks, she stared at the scene before her in slight bafflement. There was a young boy yelling at a girl and pulling on her hair. The girl wasn't fighting back and only protested at the boy meekly, who scowled and started shouting at her even louder.

Tegan grit her teeth, she couldn't stand bullies. With determination, she walked over the two, calling out loudly. "Hey!"

The two children stopped immediately and stared back at her with no small amount of surprise as the short, bad tempered girl made her way towards them.


	4. New Player in the Game

**Here's the latest chapter. It was a bit difficult to finish… Then again that's probably because I've been on a transformers binge… I'm watching the G1 series for the first time… It's actually kind of funny in the corny kind of way. One of the autobots called Megatron a "Mega-meatball" and I realized how many different ways his name could be made fun of. Lol, like "Mega-aft" or "Mega-nerd" etc…**

…

Kyvain allowed the familiar energy of his zanpakuto to wash over him as destroyed yet another car. He was alone in an old junkyard, taking his frustration out on the vehicles around him and had been doing so for several hours. The frustration that he had been feeling for the past couple of weeks had been building and building until he felt like he was going to explode but he just did. Not. Know. What to do.

No… He knew what he had to do. He just didn't know how to.

Syketon had befriended a shinigami. No. Worse. She _had become_ a shinigami.

All that work to keep his two lives separate – to protect those close to him – worthless! One lone shinigami had managed to unravel all his work and now threatened to reveal not only himself but Match and Pyro as well.

Match and Pyro… Kyvain slowed in his slaughter of the machines around him to ponder of the two Quincy. The siblings had confronted him shortly after Rukia had come into their lives. They wanted to know just what he planned to do now that this threat had appeared. So he told them.

Nothing, he had said and they had both gaped at him in shock before Match's temper won out. She always did have a short fuse.

"What do you mean, nothing?" Match had shouted, grabbing hold of Kyvain's shirt. "We're to just watch as Syke gets dragged into this mess? You're not going to do anything?"

Pyro, the more level-headed of the two, had watched uncertainly as his sister bombarded the young soul reaper apprentice with more and more questions until Kyvain snapped.

"I can't!" he yelled back then faltered, surprised by his outburst. Pyro and Match had been surprised, too. Match had backed up, looking concerned while Pyro's eyebrows furrowed.

"It's because of him, isn't it?" He asked, realization dawning as he gazed at his friend. "He's ordered you not to interfere."

Kyvain nodded shortly, not trusting himself to speak.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Match shouted, anger starting to rise again. "What could he possibly gain from this?"

Kyvain sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know." He admitted, "But now I can't even try to balance it out by revealing myself on my own without contradicting orders. He wants me to _keep an eye on her_." He grit his teeth. "If I told her I was a shinigami just to get closer…" He trailed off then sighed again. "I don't like this." He admitted.

The siblings glanced at each other before turning back to Kyvain.

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

Kyvain grimaced, already knowing his answer and as he told them, he knew he had said the right thing by their expressions.

"I'm going to tell him no."

Tegan sighed in exhaustion once she reached her room. Kicking her shoes off as she made towards her bed, the girl crawled up and sat cross-legged on the covers. She had managed to get the brat of a child off of his sibling but she had never met a kid more irritating. She had chewed him out thoroughly before the girl had taken pity on her brother and distracted Tegan with a tour of the candy shop. Tegan, being a candy addict, had agreed to buy a bag of whatever they chose. The boy had wasted no time in grabbing seemingly random things of candy and kicking her out of the shop. Tegan planned on going back in a few days just to bug the snot out of the little shit. She'd show him that she wasn't so easy to get rid of.

Dumping the bag of candy on the bed before her, she gazed at it in disinterest before her eyes settled on a piece that was steadily rolling towards the edge of the bed.

Seeing that it was unwrapped, Tegan had no objection to loosing this particular piece but, just as it reached the bed, she came to the realization that if she let it fall, she' d still have to pick it up.

With exaggerated grievance - she leaned forward to grab the candy – and missed.

Her tired mind couldn't even come up with an expletive as she watched the sweet fall off the side of the bed – and land in the mouth of one of her plush toys – a large polar bear that she had named Candy Cane when she was younger.

Tegan had to blink at the irony.

Now if the mod soul was anybody else, he probably would have stayed quiet once he landed in the stuffed animal until he could easily escape and not make a scene in doing so. This would allow him to avoid any conflicts and problems.

However, the soul mod was not anybody else and therefore as soon as he had a mouth to use, he screamed exactly what was on his mind just as Tegan bent down to pick up the "candy" that she had dropped.

"You kidnapped me!"

Tegan reacted appropriately.

She screamed "Holy shit!" - lost her balance - and fell off the bed.

The mod used this to his advantage and scrambled to all four feet before bolting for the door. Tegan did not hesitate. She, too, scrambled to her feet before leaping at the possessed stuffed animal.

They both went down in an un-glorified heap.

"Let go of me!" The mod soul screeched. "I won't go back! I won't! I won't be killed too!"

Tegan grabbed hold of him and sat back with the mod in her arms as he cried and tried to escape. Her eyes softened as she tried to get his attention. "Hey… Hey!"

The mod soul froze at her shout and turned to look at her.

"Why don'tcha explain to me whatcha are first before you go assuming that I'm going to do anything with ya."

The mod soul stared at her a moment before sticking his nose in the air. "Humph. As if you don't know."

~Set 'm on fire. Tha'll make 'm talk.~

_No_, Tegan thought, _that won't help at all. And he's terrified enough as it is._

That was true enough. Underneath the brave front that the creature was now putting, Tegan could feel him shaking in her arms. She had seen stray animals act like this when she had managed to get hold of them. Terrified – but not willing to let anyone know. She'd have to keep calm and try not to scare him anymore than he already was.

"Well. I don't know actually. Considering a minute ago you were a piece of candy." She deadpanned, blue eyes locked onto his cold black ones.

The mod soul's ears flattened. "Candy?" he asked incredulously.

Tegan nodded calmly, although she was practically giddy inside. "So… If you don't mind me asking – why would someone be trying to kill you?"

The possessed polar bear stared at her. Tegan somehow knew that if the doll had eyelids, the creature before her would have blinked slowly before he hesitated then answered. As it was, they merely gazed at each other before the bear, fear still evident in his voice, asked.

"Do you know what a shinigami is?"


	5. Sins of the Father

Tegan and Kon stood together as they watched a large creature race through the city. Kon had been living with Tegan for only a few days now but the two were quickly becoming close friends. Once Kon had started talking, he couldn't stop. He told Tegan everything – about shinigami and mod souls. Tegan had been horrified but had hidden her newfound disgust for shinigami and gotten straight to the point. What would Kon do now that he was free?

It was finally determined that Kon would stay with Tegan. She would allow him sanctuary and in turn, Kon would teach Tegan everything that he knew. He agreed.

Tegan found that while Kon could be slightly perverted that it was no worse than some humans that she knew and he more than made up for it with his courage and love for life. He had begun to teach her about reiatsu and how to defend herself from hollows and now she was seeing her very first.

"So that's a hollow, huh?" Tegan asked warily, eyeing the creature with distaste.

Kon, in a monkey stuffed animal now and hanging around Tegan's neck, nodded fervently.

"They eat souls, sis. That's why we mods were created - to help fight them."

Tegan's jaw tightened. "Well, we'll just have to take care of it, won't we?"

As she headed towards the hollow, the ever-present whispers increased in earnest, and _something_ began to build up around her.

~purIFY. Kill. hELp. DESTROY~

Tegan did not stop to think when she reached the hollow – it had grabbed a young girl's soul and Tegan was afraid that she might not get there in time – grabbing for that _energy_ that began to build, she focused it into her hand and _aimed_, only instinct guiding her. Her ring and pinky finger folded into her palm as purple energy crackled from her first two fingers then shot towards the hollow – piercing through its mask.

The hollow disintegrated as Kon yelled excitedly "You got it!" and Tegan's arm fell limply to her side as her breathing grew heavy. Her legs began to shake and with a disbelieving laugh, Tegan realized that she could hardly stand at all now.

Whatever she had done, it had drained her of all her energy.

Kon blinked wearily up at her. "You alright, sis?" He peered up at her. "You don't look so good."

"'M tired." She murmured softly as she stumbled to one of the abandoned buildings and sat down in front of it. Tegan leaned back as her eyes began to flutter. Why was everything spinning?

"Sis?" Huh. Kon sounded worried.

Tegan tried to tell him that she was okay but as she opened her mouth, black began to creep into her sight.

She was really tired.

"Sis!"

Why was Kon yelling? She was alright.

"Tegan!"

She was… alright.

Her world went black.

When Pyro and Match arrived home that evening, they weren't expecting to see a figure sitting quietly at the kitchen table. Their father was never home before them – he was always running late shifts at the hospital or away on some business meeting. Why was he home?

Ryuuken smiled coldly at the dumbfounded expressions that his children greeted him with.

"Are you not happy to see me, children?"

Match stuttered in surprise. "Uh- Um- Well-"

"Not really." Pyro interjected calmly, gazing at his father with thinly veiled annoyance. The three were very rarely seeing eye to eye and while Match still had moments where she attempted to gain their father's approval, Pyro had long moved past such things.

"Why are you here?" he asked, for once going straight to the point.

"I live here, Christopher." Ryuuken stated, gazing at his son in disapproval as Match fidgeted nervously.

Pyro's eyes narrowed in distaste at the name but he said nothing, knowing that if he opened his mouth, a fight would break out before long.

Match had no such qualms. "Why are you home early, Father?" she questioned, uneasily shuffling from foot to foot.

Ryuuken seemed to assess them for a moment before he spoke and, when he did, his voice was not only cold but laced with disapproval.

"Because Antonia, I believe it's time we had a discussion about those friends of yours."

If one were watching Kyvain at that moment, they would never be able to tell that he was nervous. He looked calm, cool, and collected. The three things that people expected of him – when he wasn't acting like a small child. Kyvain didn't like others to see him otherwise – he wanted them to be able to depend on him.

He didn't feel very dependable now. He felt on edge and worried.

Kyvain's eyes flickered around nervously as he made his way to the front door of the small shop that served as his home. He could feel his master's reiatsu clearly – he was waiting for him.

As soon as he opened the door, twin blurs rushed to greet him.

"Nii-san!" They greeted eagerly and he smiled down at them in sincerity.

"Uruu. Jinta. Leave Kyvain be."

Kyvain's smile turned towards Tessai. "It's ok. They're alright."

"Always popular with the kids, huh Kyvain."

Kyvain's smile dropped and his eyes darted to the form of his master, sitting at a small round table that stood in the far back. Seeing Kyvain's expression, Jinta and Uruu stepped back to allow him forward. Tessai, seeming to know that Kyvain wished for a private moment, began to usher the two children outside.

Thankful for this, Kyvain made his way towards Urahara.

Kisuke gazed at his apprentice from underneath his hat as Kyvain sat stood quietly in the doorway.

"I have another assignment for you." Urahara declared, picking up a kettle from the table. He began to pour himself tea. "It has come to my attention that a product of ours has gone missing. It is possible that Miss Kuchiki accidently walked out with it on one of her visits here. Now, I need you to be as discreet as pos-" Kyvain interjected immediately.

"No."

Pausing with the cup to his mouth, Urahara gazed questioningly at Kyvain. "No?" he asked, sounding almost surprised.

Kyvain, who had been staring at the floor, looked up to meet Urahara's eyes. "No." He confirmed. "I won't do it anymore. The missions. The spying. I'm done."

"Kyvain-"

"I will not be used against my friends!" Kyvain shouted, his clenched fists waving wildly in the air to emphasize his point.

Urahara stared incredulously at the young man before him. They had known each other a long time and it had been years since Kyvain had showed such defiance.

"I'm sorry." Kyvain said, turning on his heel. "I'm done."

He started through the shop, refusing to turn back and allow his emotions change his mind. As he headed through the door, he offered only one thing-

"I'm sorry, father."

And Urahara could only watch as his son walked away.

That night, Tegan and Kon stumbled home together, exhausted from the day's events. Kon's grip around Tegan's neck was tighter than usual but the girl said nothing – comforted by the close contact. They made their way into their room and fell onto the bed – Tegan didn't even bother removing her shoes. Within seconds, the duo was asleep.

Match and Pyro had snuck out of the house. The two had gone to an abandoned clearing by the river and were now practicing their aim on makeshift targets. Match held a bright bow while Pyro wielded twin pistols whose barrels glowed with his blue spiritual energy. Together, they did all they could to release the anger and hurt that had gathered in their hearts.

Their father held no understanding for his two free-spirited children and they had no intention of following in his footsteps. It was a never ending cycle that they had become accustomed to and even though it hurt, the siblings had no intention of letting such things step between them and the life that they had chosen.

Such things were their decisions to make.


	6. The Beginning of Revelation

Kon and Tegan were once again wandering the streets as they scouted for hollows. Kon was not in the long-armed monkey forma around Tegan's neck as it had become the form he used when they were in public. Otherwise, he took to trotting behind Tegan in a polar bear form that was the size of a dog and had metal claws that could be charged with reiatsu for attacks. Tegan had gotten better with her odd attack too. She and Kon had taken to calling it the cannon as Tegan often complimented it with one word – "boom."

The duo had become even closer in the past few weeks of working together and had adapted to each other's fighting techniques.

"Tegan."

Tegan looked down to meet Kon's black eyes. He could not blind in that form and so merely stared back before turning his head to their left.

"Do you feel that?"

Tegan paused, taking in the hollow's reiatsu.

"Yeah but it's being taken care of."

Tegan knew that there was a shinigami in her town but could only sense the soul reaper when they were fighting. She figured it was better this way. If she left the shinigami alone, hopefully, they'd leave her alone and – by extension – Kon.

Kon nodded in reluctance and the two made to continue down the street but stopped as a figure stepped from the shadows. It was a man with wild blond hair that stuck haphazardly from under a green and white hat. He wore matching green clothes and carried a cane. His appearance was not what put the duo on edge though – it was his spiritual pressure. It rolled, waved, and pressed around them – making it hard to breath and impossible to move. Kon was shaking and though Tegan seemed impassive, her heart was hammering in her chest.

The man chuckled at the sight of them as held his can idly in one hand. Tegan's fist clenched. Did he think their fear was funny?

"Well, well." He said, smiling. "Would you look at this – an illegal mod soul."

Tegan's eyes widened as Kon moaned in fear. The man continued, "I had wondered what had happened to the one from my shop. Good thing I found out who it was sold to."

He eyed Tegan. "Though I had hoped that you would still be oblivious. Let me guess, you tried to eat it with the rest of the candy?"

Dumbfounded, Tegan could only shake her head negatively.

Kisuke Urahara frowned but did not comment, instead he said, "I'm afraid I have to remove the mod soul, Miss. He isn't supposed to exist, you see."

He lifted his cane so that it faced the terrified Kon and the cane faded to reveal a sword. Kisuke pulled Benihime back but froze as he heard an odd sound. He turned his head to see Tegan aiming darkly colored reiatsu at him. His eyes widened when he realized the similarities between it and the attack known as "cero."

Kisuke's eyes locked on Tegan. The girl's breathing was erratic and her whole body shook – but she was centering the attack so it would spread rather than hit a specific spot. She would have less of a chance to miss.

"Go near him and I'll blast you." She hissed, her blue eyes narrowing to slits as she stared angrily at him.

Kisuke frowned. "Now… How did you learn that attack?" he questioned, not seeming to be worried at all. Only curious.

"None of your business." Tegan snarled angrily, irritation clearly on her face but Urahara could see the fear in her eyes.

"Oh, I think it is my business." Urahara stated, allowing a cold smile to form. "You see, not only do I seem to have an illegal mod soul on my hands but a human with forbidden techniques." He disappeared.

Tegan jerked backwards in surprise only to freeze as the tip of a blade was placed at her throat. The man was now behind her – safe from the attack that Tegan could have unleashed – and Tegan was now at the mercy of his blade.

"Watch it Syketon! This one's poisonous!" Rukia's warning echoed through the air as Syke rolled backwards to avoid the hollow's attack.

"Of course it is!" Syke shouted back, frustration evident in her voice. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. Why was it that she always got the ones that spewed fire, breathed poisonous gas, and hurled explosives? It just wasn't fair.

Pulling her zanpakuto up, Syke prepared herself for hollow's next attack as it sped towards her. Just a minute more-

BANG!

The hollow was stopped in its advance by a bright blue attack that sped towards it and _ripped_ through its mask. With a cry of pain, the hollow disappeared.

"Hell yeah! Now that's how it's done!"

Syke could only stare dumbfounded as Pyro walked towards them, shouting in victory. Close behind him, trailed Match and Kyvain.

Syke blinked slowly. Kyvain was wearing the robes of a soul reaper…


	7. To Save a Life

**Last chapter was rather short, I know. That's only because at the time, I was suffering severe writer's block and really wanted to post the next chapter. That should be the shortest of the chapters that there is… I think. Hold on. … Sorry second shortest chapter if one includes the small interlude that will be included. Now back to the story.**

**Last time: **

_Tegan jerked backwards in surprise only to freeze as the tip of a blade was placed at her throat. The man was now behind her – safe from the attack that Tegan could have unleashed – and Tegan was now at the mercy of his blade. _

Tegan tensed as the man behind her chuckled humorously. "Tegan Shade. Well. I'm not sure if I can say that it's nice to finally meet you."

Her breath caught in her throat as her blue eyes widened. "You know who I am?"

A cold feeling travelled down her spine. This man… He scared her. There was no denying that. Tegan knew that he could and would crush her if he wanted and her flimsy abilities would have little to no effect in fighting back. Also… It was one thing to be recognized because of her association with Kon. It was something completely different to be recognized and _identified_ when the man had no knowledge that she even knew Kon beforehand. How did he know who she was?

His answer was cryptic yet to the point. "My son is one of your… companions."

Companions? Son? The only two guys that she really hung around were Pyro and Kyvain. Tegan had already met Pyro's dad. Once. He was just as much as an asshole but definitely not blond.

"You're Kyvain's father?" She asked, breathlessly. The man chuckled and placed his free hand on Tegan's shoulder, causing her to flinch involuntarily.

Great. So her friend's father wanted to kill her. Maybe that's why Kyvain never introduced her when they were dating. Go figure.

"Let go of her."

Tegan was brought out of her thoughts by a new voice that was followed closely by the growl of… She blinked slowly. Was that a wolf?

Tegan's eyes moved from the snarling wolf to the person standing next to it.

"Didn't cha hear me?" Kita demanded, arms crossed. Her gaze never moved from Urahara's face. "I said to let go of her." A large bison joined her on her other side.

Tegan could not see Urahara's face from her position but from the sound of his voice, she was sure that there was a big, fat, fake smile on his face.

"Two humans then! Well, things just keep getting interesting, don't they?"

Kita scowled at him. "Are you deaf, asshole?"

Urahara gave a short laugh. "What? Are you going to attack me?" His eyes seemed to droop lazily as he lifted the blade higher. "While I still have your friend?"

It was the last thing Tegan heard before her world went black and the sound of a swinging sword echoed around her.

Syketon only paused for a moment to take in the black robes that Kyvain wore before launching herself towards Pyro with a shout.

"You bitch! That was my kill!"

Taken aback, Pyro didn't even move as Syke pulled her sword back and swung towards him. He could only blink rapidly behind his glasses even as Kyvain stopped the swinging blade with his own.

Several miles away, Tegan's eyes snapped open. Taking a moment to observe her surroundings, she allowed her tensed muscles to slowly relax before moving her blanket to the side.

Wait… Blanket?

It wasn't one that she recognized. She didn't recognize her surroundings either. Which meant…

Urahara.

Tegan propped herself up on her elbows, noting that the room was empty of people… and furniture. In fact, it seemed that the only object in the room was the bed that she had been sleeping on.

Eyes darting to and fro, Tegan got up and crept silently to the door to ease it open. It led to an empty hallway. Her mouth twisting into a determined grimace, Tegan began to creep across the wooden floors, her feet made no noise as they padded softly towards the furthest door from her.

It was a rather easy thing to accomplish, Tegan realized. Far too easy. She had often been able to skulk about silently when she wished but if this really was Urahara's domain then surely he would not have simply left her unattended?

Her question was answered the moment she managed to slink through the door. In the middle of the room sat a large, circular table, surrounded by sitting cushions of all kinds. And sitting at that table was Urahara.

Tegan instantly froze when she spotted the blond man, who merely smiled back at her and beckoned her closer.

Swallowing the lump that formed in her throat, Tegan advanced forward. As she stepped up to the table, she gathered the small amount of courage that she had and boldly asked, "Where are Kon and Kita? What've you done with them?"

Urahara's smile changed. It was slight but Tegan could immediately spot the difference. His smile had become more dangerous.

"Don't worry so, Little Tegan~" he practically sang in amusement, "Kita will be joining us shortly. As for Kon, why…" He held up a small green pod. "He's right here."

Tegan lunged for the soul bead but Urahara's reflexes were faster as his fist closed over Kon before she had gotten even a foot.

"Ah-ah-ah Tegan." Urahara's blue eyes gazed thoughtfully at her. "I have a proposition first."

Her own blue eyes stared coldly back. "What is it?"

Urahara practically purred as he leaned forward as though to divulge a great secret.

"I can cure you of your schizophrenia." He whispered lowly, eyelids drooping lazily as he stared at her.

Syketon glared at Kyvain over their locked blades even as he smirked back and casually commented. "I guess you should have just been faster then." He paused a moment before adding with a leer "That's what she said."

Not noticing Rukia's incredulous look at the last statement, Syke asked the next question on her mind.

"How long?"

Not bothering with any lewd jokes, Kyvain answered back just as seriously – "Years."

Withdrawing her sword, Syke stepped back a few feet before turning to the two siblings.

"And you?" She barked, her grip on the swords hilt tightening almost nervously.

Match shrugged. "Years." She confirmed. "But Pyro and I aren't shinigami."

Lowering her blade, Syke could only feebly ask 'why.'

Surprisingly, it was Pyro who gave the answer. "Because we didn't want to drag you into that world yet. We wanted to wait until the time was right but well… That didn't happen." He gestured to the robes that Syketon was wearing.

Syke bit her lower lip as she took this in before sheathing her zanpakuto.

"So, if you're not soul reapers then what are you?"

Pyro answered again all the while waving his hand dismissively. "Quincy. It's some ancient clan society that I really don't have the patience to explain right now."

Match turned to her brother with a shout. "It is not some ancient clan society, it's-"

"Sis, please. Not now." Pyro grumbled in annoyance.

Ignoring the now squabbling siblings, Syke turned towards Kyvain, who had also sheathed his zanpakuto.

She noticed that his uniform was different that hers. The sleeves of his jacket were nonexistent and instead of a white kimono underneath, Syke could see hints of green fabric. The hakama was the same as hers... His katana wasn't though. Its sheath was black but its hilt had an odd pattern of green and black that she couldn't quite make out.

"So…" She paused, unsure how to ask.

"How did I become a shinigami?" Kyvain finished for her.

Nodding hesitantly, Syketon crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.

Shrugging, Kyvain answered, "I was born one. Both of my parents were shinigami. It just got passed down." He smirked. "Pureblood shinigami. What do you make of that?"

Syke smirked back and answered smoothly, "It just gives further evidence to the puppy theory."

Kyvain's eyes narrowed. "Quack." He retorted back.

"I thought Tegan was the duck?"

"Tegan-" He paused dramatically "-is an octopus."

"Now that's just mean."

Kyvain shrugged.

"… Why is she an octopus?"

"'Cause I got her that octopus doll. Duh."

"… Kyvain. … Your reasoning sucks."

"Your face sucks."

"That's not what your dad said last night."

They both paused, eyeing each other with mock distrust before Kyvain conceded.

"Touché."

Syketon paused before asking, "So is that why you never introduced us to your dad - because he's a shinigami?"

Kyvain straightened as he answered honestly. "No – not because he was a shinigami – but rather…" His brow furrowed as he fought for an answer.

"It's because… my father… he uses people." He looked Syketon in the eyes. "He's the most intelligent and manipulative man you'll ever meet… but by the time you figure that out for yourself, he's already gotten what he wants."

Tegan could only gape as Urahara leaned back casually in his chair.

"Excuse me. What-" She fumbled for the right words even as Urahara smirked – and damn it all if that wasn't where Kyvain got it from.

Urahara began to repeat himself. "I can cure y-"

"- It's not even schizophrenia! The doctors-"

"-Are unaware of the spiritual world." Urahara finished smoothly.

"Oh. Ok. And please, do tell how exactly that qualifies you to-"

"The voices you are hearing are those of your zanpakuto." Urahara interjected the calm patience of an experienced parent dealing with irate children.

Tegan knew her jaw had dropped just as she knew her eyes had probably widened in equal parts of shock and disbelief.

"Z-zanpakuto? Like- like a Shinigami's…" she trailed off as she noticed Urahara beaming at her.

"So you do know about shinigami! Good. This will be much easier then." His expression turned serious – again throwing Tegan for a loop – what was with this guy…

"Here's my offer. I will help "cure" you and in exchange, I want you to work for me." He flipped open his fan to his face as his voice became cheerful. "I'll even train you as a bonus!"

Tegan swallowed the lump in her throat. She could be cured? After eight years of endless visits to hospitals and doctors, strange medications, and uncertainty in her life – she could be free of it all?

"What-" she licked her chapped lips, "What would working for you entail?"

To her relief, Urahara seemed to ponder the question seriously.

"Hmm. Well, hollow extermination mainly…. A few deliveries every now and then… And just helping around the shop."

She stared incredulously. "That's it?" she exclaimed, "That's all I have to do?"

Urahara snapped his fan shut and grinned at her. "I take it that this means we have a deal?"

"LIKE HELL YOU DO!"

Startled, Tegan turned to the doorway to see Kita glaring angrily at Urahara.

"You bastard." Kita hissed angrily and began to stalk forward – as Tegan began to edge backwards.

To Urahara's credit, he didn't even flinch as the upset teenager slammed her hands on the table and leaned towards him with teeth bared.

"You actually have the balls to just waltz into our lives and offer some shitty ass deal like that? I can't bel-"

Tegan interjected softly, cutting Kita off mid-rant as she turned to look at her quiet friend. "Kita."

Tegan gazed calmly at Urahara before looking back to Kita. "I want this, Kita." Her voice became more desperate. "I want a cure, Kita. I'm tired of wondering what is wrong with me. I just…" She turned towards Urahara. "What about Kon?"

Tilting his head to the side, Urahara questioned, "What about Kon?"

"I want- I want his safety guaranteed. You have to let him continue living with me and he needs his body back too."

Allowing a triumphant smile to slowly cross his lips, Urahara stood from his seat and turned towards the back wall. "I can do one better than that."

He called over his shoulder as he knelt to open a box, "I got this idea from a friend of mine. Been wanting a chance to test it out."

Kita and Tegan could only gape as he brought the object over to them.

Syketon collapsed on her couch that night – Rukia resting on a chair under the guise of a friend spending the night – and sighed in exhaustion. What a day.

She was reaching for the television remote when Jake's startled gasp caught her attention and she turned to see… a dog.

Tegan had brought home a large orange and white Akita. Gaping, Syketon turned towards Tegan for an explanation, who could only smile tiredly back and say, "Meet the newest member of the family – Kon."


	8. A Short IntermissionTraining from Hell

"Where is he?" Pyro grumbled, irritated, as he flicked his lighter on and off. His eyes never strayed from the road where Kyvain should have appeared _thirty minutes ago_.

Match shrugged lightly. She was just as bored as her brother but was not willing to admit it to him. "He's usually late." She reminded him, as she made herself comfortable against a stone that was close to the river.

"Yeah" Pyro agreed, "But not _this_ late." He scowled darkly. "I'm bored out of my mind here."

Syketon allowed her eyes to turn skyward. Heaven help them if Pyro decided to find a cure for such a thing.

"Oh." Rukia, who had been quietly watching, turned towards the road. "He's here."

"Alright." Kyvain announced as he walked towards the group. "Today's all about our weak points. Pyro-" He turned towards the Quincy in question. "-Quit trying to make that trashcan explode and work on your muscles. Match-" The female Quincy blinked in acknowledgement. "-Work with Rukia on stamina." Then Kyvain turned to Syke and the girl shivered, not liking the blood-thirsty smile that her friend held.

"You're training with me today, _Syketon_."

A cold chill settled over Syke. No. She did not like this at all.

A short while later and Syketon was using every profanity that she had ever heard and even inventing a few of them herself. She ached _everywhere_ and her temper was reaching dangerous levels. There was no denying the fact now that Kyvain was skilled. Hell, he had run fucking circles around her just now. Syketon had thought that she had improved in the weeks that the she had been a shinigami. She had thought that she could handle anything thrown at her. Now she wasn't so sure – and that thought pissed her off badly.

Kyvain had been training as a shinigami his entire life. He had far more experience than her but the thought that he was better than her just made her burn. Watching him as he smirked and stared at her knowingly just made her want to win even more so. She wasn't one to back down just because the odds seemed to be against her.

This was why she still turned to face him again - even after he kept knocking her down. Because she wasn't one to just roll over when things got difficult – she would keep going – until she couldn't go anymore.


	9. Purity and Corruption

_This was why she still turned to face him again - even after he kept knocking her down. Because she wasn't one to just roll over when things got difficult – she would keep going – until she couldn't go anymore. _

Meanwhile in Urahara's Secret Underground Training Area That Was Not Really A Secret And Also Possibly Illegal aka Urahara's basement….

Tegan was eyeing Urahara warily.

"Just what is it that you plan to do?" she asked, watching as he held his cane loftily.

"Well, I did say that I would help take care of those pesky voices that are bothering you."

Tegan glared crossly and placed her hands on her hips. "And just how do you plan on achieving that?" she asked, rather suspicious of the grin that he was sporting.

Suddenly, the grin turned malevolent as Urahara spoke lightly.

"I'm going to kill you." He pulled Benihime from her sheath.

~MOve! ~

For once complying with her inner demons, Tegan gathered rietsu and flung herself backwards as Urahara charged.

"Are you crazy?" she shouted as she skidded to a halt several yards away from him. Urahara did not answer but merely disappeared faster than Tegan could track.

~Duck! ~

Again Tegan complied and just in time as Urahara's blade swept over her head. Eyes wide in horror, Tegan attempted to move out of Urahara's path but as soon as he realized that his blade had not made contact, he pulled his leg back and kicked the girl away from him.

Tegan's body flew into the air and sailed backwards before she landed on her back and skidded across the hard ground. Groaning in pain, the girl struggled to get up though she already knew that her human body was not going to be able to do much more.

However, a sandaled foot on her stomach stopped her from doing anything else as it applied pressure. Tegan gritted her teeth, the edge of the clogs were _sharp_. She flung her head back and glared hatefully up at Urahara, who merely stared down at her before he lifted his sword and impaled her in the heart.

It was a soft breeze that woke Tegan from her slumber. She blinked to clear away the blurring that obstructed her vision and gazed around curiously. She was sitting beneath a large oak tree amongst the roots that cradled her protectively. The tree was one of many and each one seemed to have some unique shape or form. Placing a hand on a root that draped across her chest, Tegan gave it a slight push and the root willingly moved away from the girl. She smiled and stood, her body only relaxing further as the cool breeze ruffled her hair in the need to play. Tegan shook her head softly. Not right now, she told it silently as she began to walk through the tranquil forest.

As she walked, she observed her surroundings subconsciously. It was nearing twilight and lightning bugs were already flittering around the trees. Somewhere ahead, a bird called out its evening song.

It seemed to be a tranquil paradise and Tegan knew she could stay there forever. However, as Tegan continued her path and got further from the center of the forest, a growing feeling of unease began to fill her and she found herself moving faster and faster until she broke into a dead run.

As she ran, the black sleeves of her robes billowed – adding to her new sense of panic – since when had she wore black robes?

Running, Tegan leapt over the upcoming roots and ducked under the limbs that attempted to grab hold of her – deterred only by the fierce wind that blew over her protectively. The sight of the forest's edge gave her the energy and speed needed to continue.

Tegan burst through the last of the trees and skidded to a stop, panting in exhaustion.

The wind – once fierce – now settled around her in whispered concern. It waited until she had caught her breath before urging her forward. Giving the forest one last glance, Tegan started forward.

Only to stop abruptly as she came to the edge of a cliff.

Laughing shakily, Tegan glanced down the drop.

It was a long way down.

She turned her gaze onward and felt her breath hitch.

Beyond the cliff, stood a white city.

Grinning in triumph, the future soul reaper made her way to the city – to the center of her heart.

Tegan stared in amazement at the wall before her. It seemed to stretch on forever and the girl had to wonder in it went all the way around the city she had seen from the cliff. She failed to notice that the bottom of the wall had begun to crumble away as though something had caused it to decay from inside the city. Instead, she focused on the single entranceway – a large gate that was blocked by thick black chains that hung tightly against the wood. Her eyes narrowed at the restraints as the wind brushed by her in irritation. _They_ wanted the restraints gone. The chains were _not_ meant to be there, therefore, they _had_ to go. Such an abomination in_ her_ mind – in _their_ mind – was unforgivable.

Tegan lifted her hand and grasped the chain closest to her then pulled. Giving no resistance, the chain followed her hand then began to disappear. When the black iron was completely gone, the gate swung open to welcome her into the city. Tegan advanced warily, for though she knew that, in a way, this place was her home, she could feel the presence of others that set her on edge.

The inside of the city was vastly different from the forest and its surrounding area. There was no wind for a start. That and everything seemed dead. The buildings were lifeless and empty – some of them were decayed to the point of being only rubble. Within those broken buildings were shadows that seemed to _crawl_. Bars covered windows and doorways, and Tegan could hear the sound of creaking metal somewhere in the distance. She wondered if she should be concerned that this was the image her mind came up with for an inner world. The girl shifted her gaze uneasily around her in apprehension.

It was the sound of laughter that caught her attention next. Immediately, she turned towards the sound but there was nothing there. The sound echoed again to her right but this time it was closely followed by a second set of laughter further away from the first. Licking her chapped lips, Tegan's eyes darted around in an attempt to locate the sources. She knew that whoever they were, they wanted her to jump and turn again and again until she was frightened and disoriented. She wouldn't give them that pleasure. Instead, she clenched her fists tightly to hide her fear and to add some self-control.

A distorted voice carried towards her through the street.

"Aw, look at that." It cooed, causing Tegan to cringe even as she tried to stand resolutely, "The chil's frightened. Isn't tha' the mos' adorable sight?"

An identical voice came from the opposite side of the city's street, "Indeed brother. But one must wonder why. After all, there's nothing here that would harm her."

"Per'aps, she jus' doesn' recognize us. We've nev'r met face ta face before."

Tegan's teeth clenched, she knew who these two were. The voices were the same ones that she had been hearing since she was nine years old on the night her mother died. It was just as Urahara had told her – they were her zanpakto. Now she just had to figure out how to confront them properly. The zanpakto carried on, unaware of their wielder's thoughts.

"Perhaps, you're right brother. But we simply can't come out now. It would ruin our game of hide- an –seek and we _all_ know how much we enjoy that game. Come and find us, dear master. We're waiting for you."

The other 'brother' let out laughter that caused goose bumps to rise on Tegan's arms. It was a chilling, dark laugh - one of sinister amusement and intent. Tegan's mouth went dry and she had to wonder – what had she gotten herself into?

Urahara stared down apathetically at the two forms on the ground. One was merely a body – a vessel that went through much wear and tear to protect something very precious inside. The other was a soul, one that - at that moment - was trapped within its own mind – at the mercy of individuals that reflected its own inner demons and strengths. He had to wonder just what kind of zanpakto Tegan was facing at that moment.

Tegan wanted to kill Urahara. In fact as she ran through the streets, she was already comparing different methods that she could use to get the job done. A black blur appearing by her side cut her from her thoughts as she jumped to avoid the zanpakto's attack. So far, their 'game' had consisted of her running for her life through the city's streets to avoid random attacks from two 'blurs' – one black and one white. It was beginning to irritate her. She did not have unlimited patience – far from it in fact. She was just good at hiding that little detail. Tegan much preferred to be seen as laid back rather than having a quick fuse. This in reality was close to being completely false. These two were pushing her limit. Besides, how the _fuck_ was this considered hide-and-seek? _These two are beyond demented_, she thought to herself.

She threw herself sideways to avoid yet another attack, this time coming from the white blade. Rolling to her feet, Tegan gritted her teeth. Enough was enough.

"Alright you bastards," she snarled as she stood her ground, "That's enough! Now I'm irritated!"

The black zanpakto dashed by her to settle by what used to be a building's wall. As he stood still, he frowned and asked crossly, "Irritated? We were only playing a game with you. You need to lighten up some."

Tegan stared at him, mouth parted as she took in his features. It was a boy in his late teens and he was taller than her – she only came to his chest. He wasn't just thin, he was lanky and his pale skin contrasted greatly with his black hair that feathered out to his shoulders. Bangs covered one eye while the other eye was pure black with no sclera or any other color at all – no, wait – there was a thin purple ring too. Underneath his eye ran three parallel lines that stretched towards his jaw – the center line was the only one that went all the way down and continued towards his throat. His clothes were black with a white undershirt being the only difference in color. Over the shirt was a jacket, torn and ripped with age, and over his form-fitting black jeans, which were also ripped and worn, he wore black boots. The boy was unnerving. He seemed too calm while standing there, having already stopped being cross. The only hint of emotion was as he frowned curiously at her then, suddenly, he smiled gently and Tegan found herself edging away warily. However, her back smacked into something behind her and, without further warning, arms wrapped around her from behind. Tegan froze then tensed. Laughter, softer this time but still chilling, echoed behind her.

"Ah' do believe ya lost this game, little wielder." The white zanpakto's voice whispered in her ear.

Tegan gritted her teeth; she did not have time for these _games_.

"Release me." She snarled as she attempted to escape his grasp. The zanpakuto, however, just laughed again and tightened his grip.

"Wha' shall we do with 'er?" he asked his brother gleefully as the future shinigami cursed and flailed about. He smiled over her shoulder in response to her distress which she immediately took advantage of.

She slammed her head into his nose.

Crying in surprise and pain, the zanpakuto released her and covered his nose with both hands. Tegan skittered away then turned to face both of her adversaries. The dark twin was watching his brother in mild amusement as he pressed his hands to his face, orange eyes watering in pain.

Tegan took in his appearance as well. He was complete opposite of his brother. The only things that were the same were their shape and skin color. While tall, lanky, and pale like his counterpart, this zanpakuto had short white hair that stood on end with slit neon orange eyes that seemed to glow. His clothes were completely white save for the black undershirt that showed from under his unbuttoned, long sleeved shirt. Rather than form-fitting jeans, he wore loose cloth pants that were only partially tucked into a pair of boots. He had lowered his hands, so Tegan could see that there were no markings on his face. The zanpakuto growled lowly towards her.

"Uncalled for." He hissed, revealing sharp incisors. His dark twin seemed to become even more amused as Tegan opted for a look of defiance.

"You shouldn't have grabbed me, ya jackass!" she yelled back causing him to recoil in surprise. Then he sniffed haughtily as he crossed his arms and turned his head from her.

"Whatever." He scoffed and suddenly his mood went one-eighty as he turned back towards her with a grin and began to bounce on his heels.

"It's 'bout time ya got here ya know. We've been waitin' _ages_."

To Tegan's surprise, the darker twin nodded in agreement as his (visible) eye widened in mocking worry.

"Eight _years_ I believe."

Tegan sneered at them both. "Oh yes." She said sarcastically, "I'm sooo sorry to keep you both waiting. Especially since you both made my life a _living_ _hell_."

The pale zanpakuto pouted. "Well, ya weren't _listening_." He whined back.

His brother shrugged. "We had to do something to get your attention." He explained.

Again, Tegan's temper snapped, "You got me arrested!"

They both snickered, "That actually was pretty funny."

She glowered at them both then sighed in defeat. Something told her that she wouldn't get anywhere with these two in this subject.

"The reason I was here to begin with…" she began uncertainly but froze as identical looks of malice twisted her zanpakutos' features.

"That man-" they hissed, "-attempted to kill you."

Tegan nodded tiredly. "I know." She said, calmly. "However, we agreed to follow his methods. This was how he felt it was best, I suppose."

"Bullshit." The white zanpakuto snorted.

Tegan looked to him, startled and the pale spirit gave a bitter grin.

"Don' look so surprised, Tegan. We _are_ you after all. Your inner thoughts and bein' are represen'ed through us."

"Therefore," the black spirit continued, "while you may think something but not say it, we're just going to speak our minds. Or" he added, glancing at his twin, "your mind, rather."

Tegan placed a hand over her forehead as though signifying a growing headache. Then again, looking at her zanpakuto, she's probably had the same headache for eight years.

"It's alrigh', Tegan." The white zanpakuto crooned, allowing a small smirk to form, "You'll understand 'ventually."

Tegan merely glared at him. "Not sure I want to understand." She muttered crossly and let her hand drop before asking, "So who are you anyway?"

"We've been over this already, young master." The black zanpakuto amended her gently but his tone still sounded slightly exasperated.

"I know you're my zanpakuto!" she shouted crossly before stating, "I want to know your names."

The white twin's voice, suddenly soft with a hint of warning, came from behind her and would have made her jump had his arms not been wrapped around her torso once again.

"Names are ah powerful thing, chil'. However, you may call me Janaan"

Tegan's breath caught in her throat. When had he managed to get behind her?

Janaan's dark twin disappeared from his post on the wall only to reappear directly in front of her, causing Tegan to start in surprise. He smiled as he leaned down to whisper to her, "And I… am Aatmik."

The twins then spoke together as they held their wielder between them. "Together, we are Gemini."

It was with a deep shuddering gasp that Tegan came back to the real world. Immediately, her hand flew to her heart where she had been stabbed originally but with startling realization, she found no wound. This caused her to relax slightly on the hard ground, her heart hammering in her chest as she attempted to remain calm. This plan was for naught the moment she glanced to her left and found herself staring at her own body. Her breath caught and for a moment Tegan just stared before the truth finally sunk in.

Urahara really had killed her.

There was no chain connecting her to her body and glancing down at herself, she found that she was wearing the dark robes of a soul reaper. A black and white katana rested within its sheath on her hip.

Tegan was officially a shinigami.

A very, _very_ pissed off shinigami.

Jumping to her feet, the irate girl immediately set out to find the blond bastard whom she intended to harm greatly.

It did not take long to find him.

As soon as Tegan had begun her search, the sound of someone's angered shouting had led her straight to her target. … Who was backed onto a large boulder by three individuals. Three _angry_ individuals.

Tegan smiled widely. It appeared that Kita had found out Urahara's actions and was now chewing him out for it while Kon and Ulla kept him prisoner. The shopkeeper was smiling disarmingly and appeared to be trying to calm the three down. Whatever he was saying though, just seemed to make them more upset. Or at least it definitely made Kita shout even more.

Tegan watched for a minute or two before she flash-stepped to Kita's side. She was quicker than before, she noted, then turned to face her friend.

"Kita," she began in amusement as Urahara's smile grew and he attempted to divert Kita's attention to the shinigami next to her. Kita hardly glanced over to Tegan as she continued her shouting before she quickly did a double take.

"Tegan!"

Tegan smiled gently, allowing her eyelids to droop almost lazily. As a friend, this was the moment where she should say something truly comforting to Kita – to reassure her that she was fine and that everything was okay.

"Hola amiga. Wazzup?"

Okay. So Tegan didn't always get the social requirements that were expected of her.

She did understand, though, that when Kita turns to you with a look that promises pain then attempts to punch you, that you did _something_ stupid.


	10. A Note to Everyone and A Preview

Alright so I decided I'm still going to finish this story and then I will edit it afterwards. However, I still posted the next part in the story anyway. It begins with the invasion of soul society.

Here's the Preview:

Gin Ichimaru smiled. Today had been fun and now it was only getting better. He swung open the double doors and swaggered in like the captain of Squad Three always should - with a spring in his step and a big grin fixed on his face.

He was in the large undecorated room normally reserved for meetings such as this. Polished wood shone beneath his feet, at the far end of the room was the only piece of furniture, a simple chair - on which sat an extremely old man with long eyebrows and squinting eyes. His head was bald and his white beard was long and braided. There was a wooden staff in one hand and he was dressed in black robes with a white coat. Ichimaru could not see it from here but he knew on the back was inscribed the number one.

The ten other people in the room all wore the same black robes and white jacket. They were lined up in two rows with a narrow aisle between them so that the view between Ichimaru and the captain of Squad One, Yamamoto, was unobstructed.

"What's this?" Ichimaru said, narrowed eyes taking in everyone present. "All these VIPs came all the way out here just to see little ol' me?"

"Shut up, Gin." The curt voice came from a tall, imposing man who towered over just about everyone else present. The sleeves were ripped from his white jacket. His black hair stuck out in spikes that were about two feet long each and every tip held a tiny bell - the jingling of which had once led to Ichimaru to ask him whether he'd pulled any sleighs since Christmas.

A narrow scar slashed down the right side of the man's face and the left eye was covered by an eye patch - Ichimaru had also asked him once whether he found that pesky chest of buried treasure or not.

Today, however, Ichimaru nodded to the captain of Squad Eleven and said in a friendly tone, "Kenpachi. You're looking particularly menacing today."

Kenpachi bared his teeth, not amused. "I knew you were a lazy bastard and your squad is next to useless in a fight, but _really? _You couldn't take care of half a dozen or so Ryoka?"

Ichimaru cocked his head, somehow appearing puzzled even with that broad smile on his face. "Oh? Did they survive? Hmmm…How odd. I thought I killed them."

"_Bullshit,_" Kenpachi snarled. "All captains should be more then capable of telling when their opponent's life energy has ceased!"

"Kenpachi, I'm going to be honest with you. I've just been so distracted lately that I–"

"Lay off the opium and maybe you'll see the world a little clearer!"

"Perhaps I _should_," Ichimaru conceded even as he continued walking down the line. He greeted each captain in turn. "Komamura – glad to see you still haven't taken that basket off. Can't allow that ugly mug to see the light of day now, can we? Hitsugaya – they let you out of preschool for this? Shunsui – brush your teeth, man, that's just disgusting. Hey, Soi Fon! Later, do you want to –?"

"_For the last time, no._" Soi Fon answered curtly. She was the rail-thin captain of Squad Two and the Stealth Force, "And _stop sending me Hell butterflies in the middle of the night! _It's creepy!"

Ichimaru managed a dejected smile. "Okay, then."

He immediately brightened when he saw the next person. "Hey, Tousen! Seen any good movies lately – oh wait, I'm sorry. Mayuri – going for the all-natural look? Good for you! Kuchiki – hey, I really am sorry about your sister. Oh, sorry, step-sister. She's been a real pain in the ass lately, hasn't she? Unohana – sorry, I don't have any sarcasm prepared for you, so I'll be on my way…"

He had shivered upon spying the middle-aged woman with her black hair braided in front of her. His voice was grim when he said, "Never again, Unohana." Upon spying a young man with messy brown hair and thick square glasses with black frames, Ichimaru brightened and said, "Hey there, Superman."


End file.
